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This is my favorite chap- wHiCh iS gOod because im having a pretty rough day

[what's up it's me yA lOcAl PeRsOn
bEtA
THIS CHAPTER IS VERY GOOD
i'm not into newsies anymore
but i still love this chapter!!!!
ENJOY Y'ALL
HAVE A GREAT LIFE]

When Anastasia and the newsies made it back to the lodge Anastasia wordlessly left to the fire escape, leaving Books in charge.

Everything coming back to her, she squeezed her eyes shut as warm tears cascaded down her face.

"Where'd you find a view like this Jackie?" Anastasia grinned brightly, watching the sun rise with her two brother figures.

"I didn't find it. It's always been here." Jack smiled softly. "You just have to look for it."

Warm bright colors painted the sky.

Vibrant blues, and pinks, and yellows, and oranges danced as the yellow sun rose.

"I like sunrises," Crutchie spoke softly. "It's a fresh start."

"I close my eyes, and I can see." Jack had his arms spread open, as if painting the scene. "A world that's waiting out for me... that I call my own."

"Through the dark. Through the door. Through where no one's been before," Crutchie added, his bright smile spread across his face. "But it feels, like home."

"They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy! They can say, they can say I've lost my mind." Jack rolled his eyes. "I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy."

"We can live in a world that we design." Anastasia grinned, catching on.

Jack laughed, ruffling the younger girl's hair.

"'Cause every night I lie in bed. The brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keeping me awake." Jack's eyes sparkled as he stared up at the rising sun, a smile etched across his face as his hand gripped the rail. "I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see-" He elbowed Anastasia jokingly. "-million dreams is all it's gonna take..."

"Oh a million dreams for the world we're gonna make..." Crutchie whispered.

~~~~~~📰~~~~~~

"There's a house we can build." Twelve-year-old Books paced the room.

"Every room inside is filled, with things from far away." Anastasia swayed slightly, dancing to a silent song.

"The special things I compile, each one there to make you smile!" Books nudged Rowan slightly, drawing a small sincere smile from his friend.

"...On a rainy day!" Rowan elbowed Books back. (REFERENCE TO POST-CREDIT) [OHMYGODS]

"They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy." Anastasia gestured around to her friends.

"They can say, they can say we've lost our minds," Books agreed.

"I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy." Rowan shook his head.

"Runaway to a world that we design!" Hyper jumped up, pulling up his best friends.

"Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colours fill my head." Anastasia smiled, spreading her arms out just as Jack did, painting the picture. "A million dreams are keeping me awake."

~~~~~~📰~~~~~~

"I think of what the world could be," Jack whispered softly. "A vision of the one I see."

~~~~~~📰~~~~~~

"A million dreams is all it's gonna take." Crutchie clutched onto the bar of his cell in the Refuge. [EXCUSE MOI?????????] (🤣)

~~~~~~📰~~~~~~

"Oh a million dreams for the world we're gonna make," Anastasia choked out.

The wind started to blow softly, sending goosebumps on Anastasia's unsleeved arms.

"I think I know how Atlas felt, when he got the cards he was dealt.
It seems a pretty lousy hand." Anastasia wiped her eyes. "And life is full of rotten deals, you got no clue just how it feels when everyone expects so much you can barely stand."

Anastasia uncurled herself from her ball that she made.

"And you wish that you were stronger,"  Anastasia continued, standing and tightly gripping the rails of the fire escape, "'cause you know you're gonna fall... And you can't hold on much longer. Gonna lose it all."

Anastasia closed her eyes tightly. "Take the weight from my shoulders. Take the weight from my mind, from my mind."

Flashes of her and Race fighting echoed through her mind.

"It's strange, you're making me uneasy. We're both a little broken so maybe you can see me." Light pink dusted Anastasia's cheeks, but she dismissed the feeling. "It's weird, but a good weird. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. I just can't let go. It's like how much can you take. Before you break." She threw her arms up, letting the wind hit her face fully. "Take the weight from my shoulders! Take the weight from my mind."

"They say wait 'til you're older." Anastasia scoffed. "But there's so many things I've yet to find."

Pushing her hair from her face she breathed in deeply. "Can't take the weight." She sighed, turning back to look at the door where just behind held the chaos of her newsies.

"Can't take the weight." Anastasia undid her braids.

"Can't take the weight." She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Can't take the weight." Finally she thrusted her arms up feeling the wind brush against her fingertips.

"No, woah woah woah woah."

"You have a nice voice." Race spoke casually, as if he hadn't chased her all the way from Manhattan to Queens.

"Ah!" Anastasia jumped, backing away.

"Sorry... again," Race smiled sheepishly.

"It's okay." Anastasia spoke in a fragile voice. "H- how much did you hear?"

"Enough." Race shrugged.

Anastasia opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Look!" Race sighed. "Our frien- we- we are never gonna go back to how we were. B- but maybe we can start over?"

He held out his hand.

Anastasia smiled softly. "We can." She grabbed his hand.

Race smiled and started to laugh as Anastasia pulled him in for a tight hug.

"What happened to your face?" Anastasia examined.

"Am I looking as handsome as ever?" Race joked, making Anastasia flush bright pink.

"Did someone with a ring punch you?" Anastasia poked at it, making Race jump.

"Ouch! You're not looking the best either!" Race whined, holding his cheek that was starting to bruise.

"I'm not whining over mine." Anastasia laughed.

"Here's to starting over." Race held up his right wrist to the sky, a blue and grey friendship bracelet evident on his wrist.

Anastasia gasped softly.

"You still have it."

"What's up with you, glum and dumb?" Anastasia huffed.

"I am not glum and dumb." Race scoffed.

"You're scoffing." Anastasia pointed out, grinning. "You always scoff when you're in a mood."

"I just had a rough day of selling!" Race snapped, breathing heavily. "I still have ten papes left."

"I'll help." Anastasia grabbed five papers.

"No- no it's okay!"

"I'm helping anyway!" Anastasia whistled before running back to her selling spot.

Anastasia had sold all the five papes but Race still had three left.

Race huffed and stomped his foot angrily.

"Hey- hey- calm down." Anastasia put her hands up. "It's okay,"

Race was nearly in angry tears.

"Ima get us a candy bar!" Anastasia grinned, knowing Race loved his candy. Not to mention they were only one cent a piece. (NOT MAKING THIS UP! THIS WAS IN THE BOOK "KIDS ON STRIKE")

"You have any papers left?" An old rich woman came up to Anastasia, blatantly ignoring Race.

"No..." Anastasia trailed off, "but my best friend does!"

The woman looked over Race, disgust written on her face. "Never mind." [*googles how to punch old ladies in books*]

Race almost started to bawl right there.

"Candy bar we come." Anastasia smiled sweetly at Race before skipping off.

Race sighed, looked down at his three papers and gingerly wiping his eyes.

Just then a kinder woman passed by.

"Are you alright dear?"

"I'm- I'm okay ma'am." Race stumbled. "Just having trouble selling papes."

"How much a newspaper?" She smiled warmly.

"One penny a pape ma'am."

"I'll buy all of them." She busted out a dollar bill.

Race gawked at the sight.

"Keep the change." The elder woman winked before taking the newspapers and walking away.

"Thank you!" Race jumped in joy. "Thank you!

And with that, he raced after his best friend.

Anastasia ogled at the window of a candy store, watching rich kids walk in and out, candy and treats in their hands.

Quickly, she rushed inside examining all the flavors. (Maybe bumping into a couple of women and kids on the way in)

"Look at what my mom got for me and you." She overheard the perky voice a girl much older than her. Perhaps in middle school. "It's so pathetic."

Anastasia turned her head and saw a brunette holding up friendship bracelets.

"They look so cheap." The friend rolled her green eyes.

But to Anastasia, they looked like a masterpiece.

"We should throw it out." The brunette girl grinned.

Anastasia quickly took of her newsie hat, letting her braids spill down and tried to make herself look as presentable as possible before dashing after the girls who were walking to the outside trash can.

"Wait!" Anastasia caught up to them right before they threw the bracelets in.

She flushed bright red as both of the preteens eyes landed on her.

"I- I heard you were gonna throw those bracelets out." Anastasia smiled awkwardly, talking shyly. "And you see my best friend had a really hard time selling papes today, so I was thinking-"

A shriek of a laugh exited the green-eyed-girls lips. "You're a newsie?"

"Well yeah-"

"That's pathetic." The brunette girl chipped in. "Look at your clothes, can't afford a dress, can you?"

"I mean-"

"How old are you kid?" The green-eyed-girl narrowed her eyes.

"I'm seven-"

A snort escaped the brunette girls mouth. "Guess your parent's really didn't love you. Couldn't wait to toss you out."

Anastasia felt a blow to the gut.

"Take your little bracelets." The brunette tossed them to Anastasia.

Race watched as anger pulsed through him as he ran over.

"What gives you the right to pick on my friend?!" Race snapped, pushing Anastasia behind him.

The green-eye-girl opened her mouth but was cut off by Race.

"You are just a bunch of hoity toity school girls with no life and no personality!" He pointed. "So you pick on the less fortunate, the ones who woik to survive! So you leave my friend alone!" He glared.

The brunette opened her mouth to speak but she too was cut off.

"Didja here me?" Race held up his fists, "Amscray!"

"Wha-" The green-eyed girl began.

"SCRAM!" Race yelled in her face, making the two girls run off in fear.

Race tentatively turned back to his best friend.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm okay." Anastasia smiled slightly. "But look what I got!"

She held up two friendship bracelets.

"One for you, and one for me." She gave Race one.

Both put it on their wrists, Race's right wrist and Anastasia's left.

Together they held their hands to the sky, pressing the bracelets together.

"Of course I still have it." Race rolled his eyes, a fond smile on his face.

Anastasia smiled back brightly.

"You know..." Race clutched his right wrist. "I still hold this- to- tell myself everything's gonna be okay, like you always told me."

"It felt like a part of you was still with me whenever I touched it." Anastasia admitted.

"I'm here now." Race joked.

Race put his hand back up into the sky and Anastasia did the same.

"To a new friendship." Anastasia exclaimed, bright smiles on both of their faces.

Little did they know that their "new friendship" was built on a different foundation.

Stable.

But different...

[a PlAtFoRm CalLed] [L O V E] (ah)

what did you guys think!?!?

This is by far one of my favorite chapters

iT's jUsT mAnY sOnGs

Anyway,

I hope you guys are al having a lovely week <3

This is Izzy,
Over and out!